The PS-90A, which has now reached maturity, is the only Russian engine that fulfils ICAO noise and emissions standardsThe most modern Russian commercial aircraft engine, the PS-90A was conceived during the last years of the Soviet Union ... just in time. In 1992 it managed to pass the costly procedure of certification, a feat that would be impossible to repeat in today's Russia.According to Russian practice at the time, many tests were pursued until failure -- leading to the total destruction of as many as 20 engines. The PS-90A has struggled through several years of growing pains and has now attained maturity, offering performance comparable with western engines in its class.What is more important -- it is the only Russian engine that fulfils ICAO noise and emissions standards. For this reason alone, if Russian aircraft want to fly over the world, they will have to move to the PS-90A engine. The engine is connected for good with Perm: the Aviadvigatel design bureau located there designed it, and the Perm Motor Plant produces it.The first years of the PS-90A were very difficult. The engine was blamed, some-what unfairly, for the failure of the Tu-204 and 11-96-300 airliners. In fact, the problems with the PS-90A -- mainly centred on the combustion chamber and engine control electronics -- were similar to those experienced by its competitors at the beginning of their lives. In addition to a modified combustion chamber and improved ignition system, the currently manufactured, modernised engines feature a longer engine shaft (without an intermediate bearing); reinforced high-pressure (HP) compressor blades; improved HP turbine blade cooling; heated fan fairing; and modified accessory drive gearbox. The service life of particular materials has been extended fourfold or even more.The initial design service life of the PS-90A was assumed to be 25,000 hours or 8,000 cycles, but the certificate was issued -- according to the Russian practice of gradual certification -- on the basis of actually achieved results. Thus in November 1995 the PS-90A was certified for a specified life of 3,000 hours, raised to 5,000 hours in January 1996.For many years Aviadvigatel had an ambition to implement Western technologies in its engines, but it was only after 1990 that this became possible. In 1994 it was planned to produce the PS-90P with a new, larger fan and higher thrust in cooperation with Pratt & Whitney. Those plans had to be abandoned, but in 1998 they appeared anew in the form of the design of the PS-90A2 turbofan. Aviadvigatel now hopes to build the engine in cooperation with Pratt & Whitney, and a contract is expected to be signed shortly. Aviadvigatel has been responsible for funding the totality of the PS-90A2 development effort to date.Pratt &Whitney is going to design a new turbine with efficiency increased by 2% and a blade service life of 10,000 hours, as well as improved bearing supports. The PS-90A2 will also integrate subassemblies from eleven other companies from the USA, Germany, France, Sweden and Switzerland. The Russians have asked these suppliers to meet two conditions: during the R&D period -- they will work at their own expense, and after some time they will agree to transfer the production of their sub-assemblies to Russia.The PS-90A2 will offer a replacement for the PS-90A with 1% better fuel burn, much higher reliability and reduced noise and emissions (for instance, NOx emissions will be cut by 25 percent, meeting the standards of 2004). Although the PS-90A2 purchase price will be 21% higher than that of the present A model, the extended service life of its subassemblies, coupled with the reduced cost of technical maintenance, will cut 37% off the cost of its entire 50,000-hour life cycle, without considering the fuel saved.Series production of the PS-90A2 is due to get under way in three years. The general designer of Aviadvigatel, Alexander Inozemtsev, has announced 300 options for the PS-90A2 engine over the next 10 years

First flight for PS-90A2 test-bed Ulianovsk, 17 October. The test-bed registration RA-64048, based on a series Tupolev Tu-204 airframe, took to the air for the first time after one of its Perm PS-90A engines was replaced by an experimental PS-90A2. Various checks at different thrust settings were carried out. After one hour 25 minutes in the air, the test-bed landed safely. The engine demonstrated stable operation at all stages of the flight.

The PS-90A2 is a unified twin-spool turbofan engine with high bypass ratio, mixing of inner and outer flows, thrust reverser in the outer contour and extensive noise-suppression system. It is a further evolution of the PS-90A series with further improved performance to match the world's highest standards. The PS-90A2 and PS-90A are interchangeable. Compared to the current production version, the PS-90A2 has lifecycle cost decreased by 35% with simultaneous increase in reliability by 50 to 100%.

Ecological parameters of the newer version, including noise and emission levels, meet stringent standards that ICAO and other international organizations are planning to impose in future. The PS-90A2 will enable airlines to operate Tu-204 aircraft under ETOPS, including 180-minute stretches of long-haul flights over sea surface. The PS-90A2 requires twice less man-hours in operation than the PS-90A.

The improved engine is less inclined to fire, after replacement of a few older fuel system elements with newer ones operated pneumatically. The PS-90A2 will pass certification to the AP-33 aviation standards, harmonized with FAR Part 33 and JAR33.

The PS-90A2 is selected for the Tu-204SM narrow body medium haul airliner. The aircraft is being developed by United Aircraft Corporation under the state-funded program entitled "Improvement of the Tu-204-300, deep modernization of the Tu-204 (Tu-204SM), increase in reliability and operational performance, use of achievements in upgrading Tu-204/214 fleet, improvement of systems and subassemblies of Tu-204/214 family aircraft".

This effort is being made in accordance with the Federal program "Development of Russian civil aviation in 2002-2010 and up to 2015". UAC was awarded respective contract in December 2008 by the Ministry of industry and trade. Sergei Galperin, deputy general director at UAC � Civil Airplanes, and deputy general designer at Tupolev design house, leads the Tu-204SM effort.

The work is now focusing on improving aircraft design and manufacturing technologies so as to improve reliability of aircraft systems and their safe-fault features, to cut manufacturing and direct operational costs. Tu-204SM ground and flight tests shall be completed in November 2010. Certification is due in December 2010. Deliveries shall start in June 2010. Backlog is 20 airframes, including five ordered by launch customer Iran Airtour via Ilyushin Finance Co. (a member in UAC). At MAKS'2009 the leasing company and Antant-Soyuz, the airline of the Moscow City Government, signed contract for 15 Tu-204SM aircraft with deliveries in 2011-2012

Perm Engine Company has been granted permission for modular repair of PS-90A engine

Perm November 25, 2011 The airworthiness safety arm of Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) has confirmed and activated a Statement opening the way for the Perm Engine Company to launch PS-90A engine into use by replacing modules in the high pressure turbines (HPT).

The activation of this Statement is essential in order to arrange repair of aviation engines of this construction in the shortest possible time in the airlines’ own facilities, without the need to send them back to the factory. Replacing HPT modules by PS-90A engines can be done in the hangar on a special repair stand, which must be certified and meet all technical requirements pertaining to PS-90A engine.

To date, HPT modules have already been replaced on five PS-90A-76 engines at two airlines — Volga-Dnepr and Silk Way Airlines — who pioneered the use of the modular principle. The work was done with the help of a certified team made up of seven Perm Engine Company specialists. It takes about 15-20 days to rebuild one engine with modular HPTs.

Alexei Mikhalyov, managing director of OJSC Perm Engine Company:

"Replacing modular units allows us to significantly reduce time and expense of engine repair. The high-pressure turbine is best suited to the stress of the working engine, but is also the most difficult to repair. Currently, it has to be sent back to the manufacturer, causing unnecessary loses for the factory and the airline as well.

In addition, organizing repairs on a modular system would not be possible without a great deal of preparation at the factory. The Perm Engine Company has taken on the primary responsibility for ensuring the unsurpassed quality of each component of the replacement unit, so that the engine, once repaired, will meet all requirements fully.

Our short-term plans are to build a PS-90A engine repair and modification unit in Russian main aviation hub — Moscow. Such units are already ready to launch in Baku (Azerbaijan), Havana (Cuba) and Ulyanovsk. In the near future we are ready to repair 16 malfunctioning engines belonging to various airlines, using the modular repair technology.